respiration
the act of respiring; inhalation and exhalation of air; breathing.
Biology.
the sum total of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells, and the oxidation products, carbon dioxide and water, are given off.
an analogous chemical process, as in muscle cells or in anaerobic bacteria, occurring in the absence of oxygen.
Origin of respiration
1Other words from respiration
- res·pi·ra·tion·al, adjective
- pre·res·pi·ra·tion, noun
Words Nearby respiration
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use respiration in a sentence
In our lungs, respiration can refer to the act of breathing.
Cellular respiration is a chemical process that takes place inside cells and produces energy.
Of course, particles emitted during respiration may pass through thin material, but a low pressure drop may aid diffusion, with particles floating around inside the gaiter until they get stuck on fabric or your skin.
What You Need to Know About Wearing a Face Mask Outside | Joe Lindsey | September 30, 2020 | Outside OnlineWhile most dives lasted around an hour, 5 percent exceeded about 78 minutes, suggesting it takes more than twice as long as thought for the whales to switch to anaerobic respiration.
A beaked whale’s nearly four-hour-long dive sets a new record | Erin Garcia de Jesus | September 23, 2020 | Science NewsSome ROS are produced in the normal course of organisms’ respiration, metabolism and immunological defense, sometimes for specific functions and sometimes as byproducts.
And some reptiles add a fourth function to the overworked cloacal repository–that of respiration as well.
What the Man With No Ass Crack Can Teach Darwinists and Creationists | Kent Sepkowitz | January 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom higher up, at the level of the hidden bed, came the regular plaintive respiration of Sarah Gailey.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettIt is produced abundantly when vegetable matters are burnt, as also during respiration, fermentation, and many other processes.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonOn examining the respiration and pulse, I have never been able to detect any characteristic abnormality.
A Statistical Inquiry Into the Nature and Treatment of Epilepsy | Alexander Hughes BennettHis eyes are closed, and from the parted lips there issues the regular respiration of sound sleep.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander BerkmanAfter twelve minutes of artificial respiration the lungs and heart began to act.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin Malley
British Dictionary definitions for respiration
/ (ˌrɛspəˈreɪʃən) /
the process in living organisms of taking in oxygen from the surroundings and giving out carbon dioxide (external respiration). In terrestrial animals this is effected by breathing air
the chemical breakdown of complex organic substances, such as carbohydrates and fats, that takes place in the cells and tissues of animals and plants, during which energy is released and carbon dioxide produced (internal respiration)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for respiration
[ rĕs′pə-rā′shən ]
The process by which organisms exchange gases, especially oxygen and carbon dioxide, with the environment. In air-breathing vertebrates, respiration takes place in the lungs. In fish and many invertebrates, respiration takes place through the gills. Respiration in green plants occurs during photosynthesis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for respiration
The conversion of oxygen by living things into the energy by which they continue life. Respiration is part of metabolism.
Notes for respiration
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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